Chapter 34 CHAPTER 35
Elowen met Mira in the herb garden just after midday.
It was one of the few places in the stronghold where the noise softened, where the pack’s energy thinned into something gentler. The garden sat tucked behind the healer’s wing, stone walls warmed by sun, herbs spilling over their beds in fragrant disarray. Elowen often came here to think. To steady herself.
Mira was already there, kneeling in the dirt, hands stained green from crushed leaves.
“You’re early,” Mira said without looking up.
“I needed air,” Elowen replied.
Mira finally glanced at her—and stilled.
She rose slowly, brushing her hands on her skirt, eyes narrowing just a fraction. “You’ve been carrying something,” she said. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing.”
Elowen exhaled, the sound long and quiet. “It’s not nothing.”
Mira gestured to the stone bench beneath the willow. “Sit. Before you convince yourself you don’t deserve to.”
They sat side by side, the scent of rosemary and mint surrounding them. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Mira had been Elowen’s friend long before she was Luna. They had grown together—laughed together, bled together, buried losses side by side. Mira was not impressed by titles. She saw Elowen, always had.
“You’re tired,” Mira said finally. “Not the kind sleep fixes.”
Elowen’s fingers curled in her lap. “I feel like I’m disappearing in my own life.”
Mira didn’t interrupt.
“I’m still doing everything I always have,” Elowen continued. “The pack, the duties, the bond. I’m present. I’m steady. I’m… patient.” Her voice faltered slightly. “But Darius is somewhere else.”
Mira’s jaw tightened. “Because of her.”
“Yes,” Elowen said. Then, softer, “And no. That’s the worst part.”
“Explain.”
Elowen swallowed. “He isn’t cruel. He isn’t choosing her over me. He’s just… choosing everything over us. And she happens to be standing where I used to stand.”
Mira leaned back, staring at the sky through the leaves. “That’s emotional neglect,” she said bluntly. “And the bond doesn’t protect against that. If anything, it makes it hurt more.”
Elowen’s eyes burned. “I can feel him slipping. Not leaving—but loosening. Like he’s holding the bond with one hand while reaching elsewhere with the other.”
“And you?” Mira asked gently. “What are you doing?”
Elowen laughed softly, without humor. “Holding tighter. Smoothing things over. Making space. Being understanding.”
Mira turned sharply. “That’s not partnership. That’s endurance.”
Elowen flinched.
They stayed there for a long time.
Elowen spoke of the forgotten walks, the missed meals, the meetings she wasn’t told about. She spoke of how Seraphine never overstepped, never demanded—but always occupied. How Darius responded to her presence instinctively, not romantically, but attentively.
“And that’s what hurts,” Elowen said quietly. “He doesn’t mean to push me aside. He just… doesn’t notice when he does.”
Mira reached out, taking her hand. “He should.”
“I know.” Elowen’s voice was steady, but her eyes were wet. “But knowing doesn’t change it.”
“Have you told him?” Mira asked.
“I’ve hinted. I’ve softened. I’ve asked questions that leave room for denial.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to corner him. I don’t want to become another burden.”
Mira’s grip tightened. “You are not a burden. You are his mate.”
Elowen looked away. “I don’t feel like it anymore.”
That was the truth she had been avoiding.
Later that evening, Elowen walked the halls with Mira beside her.
The pack greeted them warmly. Some smiled with relief—seeing Elowen accompanied, grounded. Others looked surprised, as if they hadn’t realized how alone she had been.
Mira stayed close, a quiet shield.
“You don’t have to be strong every moment,” Mira murmured. “Not with me.”
Elowen nodded. “Thank you for seeing me.”
“Someone has to,” Mira replied. “Especially when the one who should is… distracted.”
That night, Darius returned late again.
Elowen was seated by the hearth when he entered, Mira gone, the room quiet. He paused when he saw her awake.
“You didn’t sleep.”
“I wasn’t tired,” she said.
He sat across from her, concern creasing his brow. “Is something wrong?”
So many answers rose to her lips.
Instead, she said, “I spoke with Mira today.”
His shoulders eased slightly. “I’m glad. You should have support.”
Something in her chest tightened.
“Yes,” she agreed. “I should.”
He reached for her hand. She let him—but she didn’t lean in. Didn’t close the distance herself this time.
The bond responded immediately, flickering uncertainly.
Darius frowned. “Elowen?”
“I’m still here,” she said softly. “I just… can’t hold everything alone anymore.”
He opened his mouth—then closed it again.
For the first time, he didn’t know what to say.
Friends made pain survivable—but they also made it visible.
And visibility changed everything.
Elowen lay awake that night, Mira’s words echoing in her mind.
Endurance is not partnership.
The bond pulsed faintly, responding to her quiet withdrawal—not anger, not punishment, just self-preservation.
For the first time, she didn’t reach for Darius through it.
She simply rested.
And somewhere in the stronghold, something delicate—something once effortless—shifted irrevocably.